xlvi PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Scientific Committee April 21, 1914. 



Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S., F.E.S., in the Chair, and fourteen 



members present. 



Salix showed Carpellody of Stamens. — Mr. W. C. Worsdell, F.L.S., 

 reported as follows on the curious Salix cinerea (not 5. Caprea, as 

 was at first thought), sent from Bognor by W. B. Fletcher, Esq., to 

 the last meeting : — 



" On a male plant some catkins were normal ; most of them had all 

 the flowers female, due to transformation of the two stamens into 

 two carpels, which were quite separate, long-stalked, and contained 

 rudimentary ovules. In a minority of catkins every flower contained 

 two structures transitional between carpels and stamens ; each 

 exhibited a terminal stigma, and bore 2-4 pollen-sacs, which contained 

 pollen. The ovuHferous part of the carpel is homologous with the 

 anther of the stamen, and the stalk of the carpel with the filament of 

 the stamen." 



Mr. Fletcher also sent Salix alba vitellina, with aberrant catkius, 

 upon which Mr. Worsdell reported : — 



" An apparently m^ale plant originally. The catkins contain for 

 the most part normally-constructed male and female flowers inter- 

 mingled throughout. Here and there was a flower consisting of two 

 organs transitional between carpels and stamens. In one such flower 

 observed, one of the stamens had become completely transformed 

 into a sessile carpel, while the other was normal save for the presence 

 of a stigma topping the anther \ " 



Grapes sporting. — Mr. J. Hudson, V.M.H., exhibited a bunch of 

 Grapes said to be of the variety ' Hemnapoot,' from the Cape, and sent 

 to him by Mr. Lees, of Watford, with two green berries about twice 

 the size of the normal purple ones at the shoulder of the bunch. 



Tasmanian Orchid. — Mr. J. W. Odell showed flowers of the 

 terrestrial Orchid, Pterostylis curta, flowering from plants given by him 

 by the late Mr. Andrew Kingsmill. Dr. Rendle, F.R.S., kindty verified 

 the name. 



Yarrow Galls. — Mr. Alex. Mortimer, of The Downs, Wimbledon, 

 sent Yarrow {Achillea Millefolium) with numerous blackish, round galls 

 upon its creeping stems. The sender had not found these in previous 

 years, though the plants had been examined in weeding. The galls 

 were apparently the work of the gall fly, Trypeta guttularis. 



Virescent Wallflowers. — Mr. F. J. Chittenden, F.L.S., showed 

 specimens of W allflowers which had been grown at Wisley, the second 

 generation from the cross of a virescent with a normal Wallflower. 

 In the first generation all the plants were normal ; in Fg segregation into 

 the two parent forms had occuiTed in the proportion of loi normal to 

 42 virescent. There were no intermediates among the plants. The 

 only variation found was in the number of supernumerary carpels — 

 usually six, but sometimes only four. The numbers approximate to 



